Seating as a social catalyst: Hew by Parla

The art of ‘lounging’ has evolved since the chaise lounge and even the mid-century modern lounge chair. In fact, today, designing the perfect piece of comfortable and informal, yet elegant and versatile seating is more like a science. It has to be soft enough for hours of relaxing; adaptable to a range of social scenarios; durable enough to support activities from working, to dining and resting; and of course it must be able to inspire a good conversation with its own personality. Get the equation right, and a sofa or an armchair can become a social catalyst for interiors from lobbies to living rooms setting sparks flying.

As experts in hospitality design, Hines Fischer and Matthew Goodrich of multidisciplinary design studio Goodrich Design had often found themselves on the hunt for the perfect social catalyst – a collection of upholstered furniture that could function across all scales of hospitality, living and workplace interiors with plenty of options for customisation to encourage unique and elegant combinations.

They decided to put an end to their search by designing their own collection with Parla, an Istanbul-based manufacturer of high-quality furniture since 1910. Goodrich had previously specified furniture from Parla for projects such as Danny Meyer's Ci Siamo restaurant in New York, yet this would mark their first direct collaboration, combining Goodrich’s holistic approach to design with Parla’s fusing of heritage, craftsmanship and technology.

The result is Hew, an upholstered furniture collection consisting of a sofa, armchair and bench, available in a range of leathers and textiles with large-scale and linear patterns. Launching at imm cologne (14 January – 18 January 2024) alongside the latest international furniture trends and innovations, Hew solves a very common problem for contemporary interiors, responding to the increasing interest in comfort and informality in space, whilst also looking elegant and smart. Parla summarises Hew as ‘luxurious, adaptable and unobtrusively durable’.

‘Hew is what we like to call a “conversational sofa”. It’s deep and comfortable, but you’ll feel upright and dignified when you relax in it,’ says Hines Fischer, Goodrich Design. ‘In our hotel projects we are constantly in need of lounge furniture that empowers guests to relax, converse, work, drink and even dine at a pull-up table. Hew is comfortable, supportive and flexible – perfect for a lobby, hotel suite, office or living room.’

Hew’s durability and versatility lies in its design and construction. Its strong, solid wood frame has plenty of presence and weight, modelled on a log that has been ‘hewn’. The wood protects the corners where upholstery is most worn by the body as we ‘lounge’ and its carved wedge-shaped solid ash legs lend an organic, grounded aesthetic. Vast spans of symmetrical upholstery panels allow Hew to carry a bold, patterned fabric to bring that desired personality to space.

‘We love to play with interesting fabrics on our projects, so Matthew and I wanted to create a design that would give designers opportunities to play with large-scale or linear patterns' says Fischer. ‘On Hew, the fabrics run without seams over the arms, the front of the seat, and over the back so a pattern would not be interrupted. Linear patterns like corduroy or stripes can create exciting starburst or box patterns depending on how the designer chooses to orient the fabric.’

As a third-generation family-owned company that originally began crafting furniture for the Ottoman Royal Family, Parla luckily had the expertise to solve the complicated, scientific equation of the perfect furniture collection for lounging. Operating internationally from offices in New York, Dallas, London, Dublin and Dubai, Parla’s in-house team of designers and skilled craftsmen blend traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology in woodwork, metalwork and upholstery from its 15,000 sqm factory in Istanbul. It turns out that great social chemistry just requires a great piece of furniture or a great seating collection.

© Architonic

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